Jindal Power’s Coal Project Fast-Tracked in Chhattisgarh’s Adivasi Heartland

Jindal Coal Project Sparks Land and Displacement Concerns in Raigarh

A Rs 10,000-crore coal mining project in Chhattisgarh’s Adivasi-dominated Raigarh district is facing resistance from local communities, who allege that the government and the private mine developer are pushing it through without their consent, despite the threat of mass displacement and large-scale clearing of forest land. The 15-million tons per annum (MTPA) project, Gare Pelma I, belongs to the business conglomerate Jindal Group, owned by billionaire businessman Naveen Jindal.

Preliminary estimates suggest more than 22,000 people will be impacted by the project. While at least 2,148 families will be completely displaced from their homes, farmlands, and forests, no alternate site has been finalised for their resettlement. The coal project has been proposed by Jindal Group subsidiary, Jindal Power Limited, over a massive lease area of 3,020 hectares, which is spread across 14 villages in Raigarh’s Tamnar tehsil (an administrative unit). The tehsil shares its borders with Sundargarh district of Odisha. As per Jindal Power’s regulatory environmental disclosures, the proposed project is roughly 900 meters away from Chhattisgarh’s interstate boundary with Odisha.

Though land acquisition proceedings for the project are yet to begin formally, on 28 April 2025, the ministry has already provided a set of terms of reference to Jindal Power to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the project. A public hearing has been scheduled on 14 October as part of the impact assessment studies. However, over the past few weeks, local communities have been having consultations among themselves over the allegedly ham-handed manner in which environmental clearance for the project is being fast-tracked without settling issues of land acquisition.

“Due to lack of clarity over acquisition of land, several middlemen and petty politicians have begun misleading landowners to enter speculative deals. The rates being offered for our land by these middlemen are petty compared to rates offered to landowners in Sundargarh district of Odisha,” Harihar Patel (70), a local farmer in Tamnar, told this correspondent.

Patel added that his family is set to lose more than 40 hectares of double-cropped agricultural land, passed down through generations by his ancestors, which they till all year round. “In surveys, officials do not identify our agricultural land as double-cropped and hence offer lower rates of compensation. We are opposing the arbitrariness with which the value of our land is being determined. However, it is a fact that, at the end of the day, the government will deposit whatever amount it deems fit as compensation into our bank accounts despite our objections. We are also concerned over the high level of pollution in the area caused by coal mining and thermal power plants. Addition of yet another coal mine will only further impact the health and livelihoods of people living in nearby villages,” added Patel.

“Project Advances Without Tribal Consent, Forest Land at Risk”

Apart from more than two dozen villages of Raigarh, several more areas in Sundargarh are also likely to be affected by the project due to its proximity to the district. Consent of project-affected local communities, mandatory under Indian laws for land takeover in areas with a preponderance of Adivasi communities, has not yet been obtained. “Mandatory consent needed before diversion of forest land has also not been obtained yet. The coal mine is being fast-tracked even though there is no word yet from the government or the project proponent on where the displaced families will be resettled,” Raigarh-based activist Rajesh Tripathi told this correspondent.

Notwithstanding local communities’ concerns over the lack of any attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Chhattisgarh government to obtain their consent, notices have been issued in project-affected villages inviting people to attend the public hearing on 14 October.

Raigarh is classified by the Union government as Schedule V – in accordance with the Constitution of India – owing to the preponderance of the Adivasi population in the district. A resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) study conducted by Jindal Power has revealed that the total number of families that will be affected by the projects is 6,213. Out of this number, 2,535 households (40.81%) belong to different Adivasi communities, which have been identified by the Union government as Scheduled Tribes. As per the provisions of the landmark Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, meant to promote self-governance in the management of land and natural resources, consent of local communities through Gram Sabhas, which are meetings of the entire adult population of villages, is mandatory before going ahead with any project in an area classified as Schedule V.

“This mandatory consent has not yet been obtained. Besides, a significant population in the project area is dependent on forests that are sought to be cleared for the project. The government has, in the past, conferred many statutory individual and community rights on forest land in these villages. Though a large patch of forest land is sought to be diverted, consent of forest-dependent local communities has also not been obtained. Minor produce from the forest land that is sought to be diverted for the coal project supplements the income of local communities that is predominantly dependent on agriculture. Gram Sabha consent should have been obtained before going ahead with environmental studies,” added Tripathi.

The project proponent has applied to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (“the ministry”) for diverting 119.28 hectares of forest land. This clearance is yet to be granted. Estimates indicate at least 16,500 trees, including Sal (known for its rich-quality timber and its broad leaves used for making eco-friendly disposable cutlery) and Mahua (the buds of which are used to brew a heady country liquor), will be felled to make way for the project. Consent of local communities through Gram Sabhas, mandatory under provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 – known popularly as the Forest Rights Act, 2006 – has also not been obtained yet.

The Gare Pelma I block, in the Mandraigarh coalfields of central India, has total reserves of 1,149 million tons. Of this, 426.03 million tons is available for extraction. Jindal Power has proposed a mix of opencast (maximum production 15 MTPA) and underground (2 MTPA) mining methods to extract the available coal. The villages of Tamnar tehsil that have been identified to be impacted by the project are Budiya, Raipara, Bagbari, Aamgaon, Jhikabahal, Khuruslenga, Dhourabhata, Tangarghat, Bijna, Libra, Mahloi, Telaipara, Samkera, and Jharna.

Displacement, School Relocation, and Water Impact Raise Local Concerns

A questionnaire was emailed to Jindal Power by this correspondent asking, amongst other queries, for information about its plans to conduct mandatory Gram Sabhas and to disclose the location of the site proposed for developing the R&R colony for project-displaced families. No response had been received at the time this news article was published by The Probe. The article will be updated when we receive responses, if any, to the queries.

When contacted by this correspondent, a senior official of the Raigarh district administration said consent of local communities, as mandated by law, will be obtained when proceedings commence for acquisition of land.

“Till date, we have not commenced land acquisition proceedings pertaining to the coal mining project. Consent through Gram Sabhas will be obtained during the proceedings. The administration will also take cognisance of rights granted to individuals and communities upon forests and forest produce before diversion of forest land takes place. No detail pertaining to resettlement and rehabilitation of project-affected communities has been shared with the administration by the project proponent. A call on selecting an appropriate site for the R&R colony can be taken only after we get the details from the project proponent,” the official said.

Farmlands (2,664.55 ha) comprise the bulk of land identified for takeover for the project. Settlements and village habitations comprise 42.39 hectares, while grazing land (23.86 ha) and surface water bodies (13.36 ha) comprise other components of the lease area. Notably, the R&R study states that more than a couple of sites are being considered for resettlement of project-displaced families. But the study does not disclose the names of these sites.

“The location of the R&R colony shall be finalised after consultation with all stakeholders, through Gram Sabha in different villages, on non-coal-bearing areas and near the project site. Gram Sabha will be conducted during SIA [Social Impact Assessment] studies to be conducted after u/s 4(1) notification of the LARR Act 2013 [Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013]. So, a few tentative locations on non-coal-bearing areas have been identified in the nearby vicinity,” the R&R report states.

While obtaining the terms of reference for carrying out the environmental impact assessment, the project proponent informed the ministry that eight villages – Budiya, Bagbari, Mhaloi, Aamgaon, Bijna, Jharna, Khuruslenga, Raipara – are located completely within the coal block area. A few houses in two more villages – Dhourabhata and Telaipara – are also within the mining lease. The project proponent said that these habitations will be shifted during the due course of mining activities.

The largest number of project-displaced families have been identified in Budiya (298), followed by Khuruslenga (295) and Jharna (290). The largest number of Scheduled Tribe families set to be affected by the project are in Khuruslenga (633) and Mhaloi (535). In its R&R study, Jindal Power has claimed that the project will generate more than 2,200 employment opportunities.

As per the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which has been shared with local communities for the public hearing slated on 14 October, the project proponent has disclosed that there are nine schools within the lease area, which will be relocated in a phased manner in consultation with the state’s education department. The R&R report further states that there are 11 more schools that have been mapped near the project site, in addition to the 10 schools that will be relocated.

Apart from imminent displacement and the adverse impact of the relocation of schools on the education of children, local communities are also concerned about the effect of the mining project on water sources and the environment of the area. Roughly 1,500 meters of an important stream, Koledega Nala, passes through the southern part of the lease area. Jindal Power has proposed to divert this stream away from the mining lease by constructing an artificial canal in consultation with the water resources department. In addition, there are at least 14 ponds within the lease area, which face obliteration.

Kelo River, Wildlife and Pollution Risks Loom Over Jindal Coal Project

The Kelo River, known as the lifeline of Raigarh, flows adjacent to the project site boundary as well. In a letter to the water resources department of Chhattisgarh dated 30 April 2025, Jindal Power asked for a certification that Gare Pelma 1 “does not fall within the floodplains of Kelo River.” It requested the department to certify that the “quarry area” of the mining project is not located within the flood plain corresponding to a 1-in-25-year flood, as per guidelines issued by the ministry on 14 February 2022.

The wildlife conservation plan for the project states that there are 68 species of trees and 42 species of herbs and shrubs within a 10-km radius of the project site. Further, as many as 29 protected species of fauna are also found within this study area. These include Asian Elephant, Blackbuck, Indian Gazelle, Four-horned antelope, sambar, sloth bear, panther, leopard, and giant flying squirrel, which are placed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. These animals are given the highest level of protection in India through the provisions of the Act, for being the most endangered and threatened species. The Act places severe penalties for violations such as hunting, possession, and trade of these animals.

Raigarh district has been reeling from the adverse environmental impacts of coal mining and thermal power plants for decades. Tamnar tehsil has as many as nine operational coal mines, while the tehsils of Tamnar and Gharghoda together account for a dozen thermal power plants. These projects have proliferated over the past few years. Road transportation of coal and fly ash, the toxic residue left after combustion of coal, has worsened with the expansion of mining and thermal power plants.

As per a study finalised in October 2019 at the behest of India’s premier environmental court, the National Green Tribunal, the total quantity of fly ash generated from 12 power plants in the blocks of Tamnar and Gharghoda alone was a whopping 6.6 MTPA. The study was commissioned by the tribunal through an expert panel formed during the hearing of a petition in which it had been alleged that the operation of the coal mines and power plants was resulting in contamination of air, water, and land in the district and having an adverse impact on the health and livelihood of local communities.

“The existence of these coal deposits has led to the setting up of a number of coal mines and coal-based thermal power plants in this region over the past two to three decades. In spite of the existence of multiple environmental regulations, these activities have generated and continue to generate a significant quantity of pollution in multiple forms,” the report stated.

The study also found that the proliferation of coal transportation had badly damaged the road network of Raigarh, resulting in increased air pollution. “The major contributor of dust in ambient air is road dust being generated due to the movement of a large number of trucks for coal transport on badly damaged and narrow roads in the region. Coal transport happens in both directions: mines in the region sending coal out to thermal power plants in the region and elsewhere, and TPPs/CPPs [thermal power plants / coal power plants] and sponge iron plants in the region importing coal from outside the region,” the expert panel further stated in the report.

Based on the findings in the report, the Green Tribunal directed the Chhattisgarh government in November 2020 to sanction Rs 335 crore to construct roads for transporting coal from mines to thermal power plants to minimize air pollution. Six months later, the Green Tribunal formed an oversight committee headed by a former judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court when the state government failed to construct the road network in time.

In a separate case, the Green Tribunal issued an order in January 2023 imposing penalties upon various thermal power plants in Raigarh that were held responsible for damaging the road network of the region through coal trucking. However, a clutch of companies managed to obtain an interim stay on the penalties from the High Court of Chhattisgarh. Later, in May 2024, the tribunal disposed of the case by quashing the penalty orders issued by the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board and its regional office in Raigarh.